After a glorious victory in Milan-San Remo, the Italian carried good form into the Tour de France, holding onto fourth overall as the race reached Alpe d’Huez on stage 12.

But a clash with a fan on the slopes sent Nibali home with a broken vertebra, resulting in him needing surgery.

He returned to racing at the Vuelta but without any expectations, before riding a thrilling Il Lombardia that saw him finish second behind Thibaut Pinot.

When asked about his expectations for 2019, Nibali said: “It’s only one or two weeks that I’ve known the routes of the big tours.

“Then the first step is in December when I’ll meet the coach, the sports director, and the team management of Bahrain-Merida. Only in December I can put all the paper on the table and I can decide which my target is for 2019.

“It’s important to speak with the team, the general manager, my trainer to decide the programme for me next season.”